The Israel Defense Forces must retain the capacity to operate against Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip even after the war against Hamas ends, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid told JNS on Monday.
"Israel will need to maintain the ability to act within Gaza even after the war ends, just as we do in the West Bank today. We have to remember that the war against terrorism is not just an Israeli one, and it is not just in Gaza. The world needs to come together and act with force against terror wherever it appears," said Lapid, who chairs the Yesh Atid Party.
"The most urgent thing now is to reach a deal that brings the hostages home. Then we need to create an alternative governance in Gaza that doesn't include Hamas," he added.
Less than two weeks after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, massacre of some 1,200 people in southern Israel, Lapid said that the Palestinian Authority should be given control over Gaza after the war.
"I think, in the end, the best thing is that the Palestinian Authority goes back into Gaza," Lapid said.
"It's not ideal, and if you ask me what the [Israeli military's] exit strategy should be, it should be helping the international community help [the P.A. return to power in Gaza]," he added.
This JNS.org report was republished with permission from Jewish News Syndicate.